Ajowan seed essential oil, also called ajwain seed or carom seed oil, is steam distilled from the seeds of a plant known botanically as Trachyspermum ammi syn. Carum copticum. It has been used medicinally for thousands of years.
The most common uses of ajowan seed oil include treating upper respiratory infections like bronchitis, arthritis, digestive disorders and ulcers, but it has many other uses, too.
Ajowan oil has analgesic, anesthetic, anthelmintic, antibacterial, antifungal, antihyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-platelet, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitussive, anti-ulcer, antiviral, aphrodisiac, bronchodilatory, carminative, diuretic, estrogenic, expectorant, germicidal, hepatoprotective, hypotensive, insecticidal, nematicidal, spermicidal and stimulant therapeutic properties.
1. Alleviate Bronchitis
Add 2 drops of ajowan or ajwain seed essential oil to your diffuser, along with about 1/2 cup of distilled water, and enjoy 30 to 60 minutes of aromatherapy to treat bronchitis. Just set the diffuser next to you.
Ajowan’s analgesic, anesthetic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antispasmodic, antitussive and expectorant properties will help you feel better and clear up the infection. You can also add 1 drop of ajwain oil to 1 teaspoon of carrier oil and massage it into your chest, back and throat for relief.
Important Note: Whatever you choose for an oil, make sure that the oils you purchase are high quality. Remember, you’re breathing this oil into your lungs so essential oil quality is a terrible place to cut corners.
*Ajowan seed essential oil has an herbaceous, spicy fragrance that is very strong. You don’t need to put more than a couple of drops of it in your diffuser.*
2. Quiet Coughs
Mix 1 drop of ajowan seed essential oil into an 8-ounce glass of tepid water and gargle with it to quiet coughs. This oil’s antitussive and antispasmodic therapeutic properties will quickly soothe your throat and stop throat muscle spasms.
3. Get Rid of a Fever
Blend 1 drop of ajowan seed EO in 1 teaspoon of carrier oil and massage it into the soles of the feet to reduce a fever. It can be applied several times a day.
4. Treat Asthma
Practice ajowan seed essential oil aromatherapy to reduce the frequency and severity of asthma attacks. It quickly reduces the inflammation in the airways and calms muscle spasms.
You can also mix 1 drop of ajowan seed EO into 1 teaspoon of carrier oil and massage the blend into your chest, ribs and back for this benefit.
*A 1% dilution rate (1 drop of essential oil per teaspoon of carrier oil) is fine for everyday use. Stronger dilution rates should not be used with ajowan seed essential oil.*
5. Get Relief from Arthritis
Apply the 1% ajowan or ajwain seed oil/carrier oil blend to areas afflicted with arthritis for quick relief. Ajowan has powerful analgesic and anesthetic properties. It will quickly relieve the pain of arthritis while its anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties will reduce inflammation and swelling.
You can use any carrier oil with ajwain seed oil, but you might want to use apricot kernel oil in your arthritis blend. It also reduces pain and inflammation.
6. Relieve Neuralgia Pain
Apply the 1% ajowan seed oil/carrier oil blend to the site of neuralgia pain for quick relief. Ajowan seed essential oil is one of the most powerful pain-relieving essential oils available. Massage the 1% blend into the soles of the feet to alleviate the burning sensation that often accompanies neuralgia and neuropathy.
*Do not confuse herbal tinctures with essential oils. They are not the same.*
7. Alleviate Headaches and Migraines
Practice ajowan seed EO aromatherapy to get rid of headaches and migraines. You can also massage 1 to 2 drops of a 1% ajowan/carrier oil blend into your temples, forehead and the back of your neck for relief.
*The percentage of thymol in ajowan seed oil is even greater than that of thyme essential oil. It can be as much as twice the concentration.*
8. Improve Digestion
Massage your abdomen with ajowan or ajwain seed essential oil to improve the digestive process. Blend 1 drop of ajowan and 2 drops of dill EO with 1 teaspoon of carrier oil. Begin massaging the blend into the upper abdomen over the stomach and work your way down.
Ajowan EO aromatherapy also improves digestion. Simply add 2 drops of ajwain seed oil to your diffuser, along with about 1/2 cup of distilled water, and run the diffuser for 30 to 60 minutes during meal time.
9. Get Relief from Flatulence
Use ajowan or ajwain seed essential oil in the same way to reduce the build-up of digestive gases.
*Thymol, the strongest constituent in ajowan seed oil, can be irritating to the skin and mucous membranes. Don’t directly inhale the steam from the diffuser or let the steam get on your face or in your eyes.*
10. Treat Stomach Ulcers
Massage the 1% ajowan/carrier oil blend into the abdominal area over the stomach for ulcer pain relief and to promote healing. It can be used two to three times a day.
11. Protect Yourself Against Free Radical Damage
Practice ajowan seed carrier oil aromatherapy or apply the 1% ajowan/carrier oil blend to the skin to fight free radical damage. Ajwain is high in antioxidants that attack and remove free radicals.
This essential oil will help protect you from degenerative diseases and cell damage that is caused by the free radicals that bombard us every day.
12. Alleviate Constipation
Massage the abdomen and lower back with an ajowan essential oil/dill essential oil/carrier oil blend, or just a 1% ajowan/carrier oil blend, to alleviate constipation.
13. Get Rid of Intestinal Parasites
Apply an ajowan seed oil/dill oil/carrier oil blend to the abdomen to get rid of parasites.
14. Alleviate Nausea
Blend 1 drop of ajowan or ajwain seed oil with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and massage the blend into the belly to alleviate nausea. You can also add 2 drops of caraway oil to the blend to make it more effective.
*Place a drop of a 1% ajowan or ajwain seedessential oil/carrier oil blend on an inconspicuous area of skin and wait for at least a few hours to make sure you aren’t sensitive to it.*
15. Get Relief from Diarrhea
Massage a 1% ajowan seed essential oil/carrier oil blend into the abdomen and lower back to stop diarrhea. It can be applied several times a day, as needed.
16. Treat Bacterial Infections of the Digestive Tract
Massage a 1% ajowan/carrier oil blend into the abdominal area to treat bacterial infections of the digestive tract. Ajowan seed essential oil’s antibacterial, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic/anesthetic therapeutic properties will relieve the discomfort and treat the infection.
For an even more effective bacteria-fighting essential oil blend, include 1 drop of nutmeg essential oil per teaspoon of carrier oil.
17. Alleviate Urinary Tract Infections
Apply the 1% ajowan seed essential oil/carrier oil blend to the lower abdominal area over the bladder and on the lower back from the waist-line down over the kidneys to treat urinary tract infections.
Rub it into the skin in the morning and at night before bed. Ajwain seed oil has been clinically proven to kill E. coli bacteria, one of the common causes of urinary tract infections.
18. Relieve Muscle Pain
Gently, massage the 1% ajowan seed essential oil/carrier oil blend into sore, achy muscles for quick relief from pain as well as inflammation. It will also stop muscle spasms and cramps.
*Do not use ajowan EO while pregnant or on young children.*
19. Alleviate Oral Thrush
Add 1 drop of ajowan seed essential oil to an 8-ounce glass of tepid water and rinse your mouth with it twice a day to get rid of oral thrush or Candida albicans. It has been clinically proven to kill the C. albicans fungus.
20. Treat Athlete’s Foot
Apply a 1% ajwain seed oil/carrier oil blend to your feet to get rid of athlete’s foot. Babassu oil, coconut oil and jojoba oil are carrier oils that you can use to make the blend more effective with their anti-fungal properties.
Rub the blend on the feet and between the toes twice a day after washing and thoroughly drying them.
Reduce Diabetes Risk by Including Coconut Oil in Your Diet
21. Alleviate Ringworm
Use a 1% ajowan seed essential oil/carrier oil blend to get rid of ringworm. Simply apply it to the site of infection twice a day after washing.
22. Boost Your Libido
Practice ajowan seed EO aromatherapy or use a 1% ajowan seed oil/jojoba carrier oil blend to improve your sex life. Ajwain can alleviate impotence, lack of sex drive and premature ejaculation in men and may even lower their sperm count. It increases hormone secretion and improves blood circulation for both women and men.
Apply the 1% ajowan/jojoba blend to the lower abdominal area and inner thighs. Be careful to avoid getting it in the vagina, though, as it can irritate the mucous membranes and cause uncomfortable dryness.
23. Get Relief from Menstrual Discomforts
Use the 1% ajowan essential oil/carrier oil blend and aromatherapy to improve menstrual regularity, control excessive pleading, alleviate menstrual cramps and pain and even improve fertility. Apply the 1% ajowan blend to the lower abdomen, lower back and inner thighs for these benefits.
Was this list helpful to you? This is an excellent essential oil to have on hand for pain relief. Ajowan seed essential oil’s analgesic and anesthetic properties were assessed in a clinical test. In this test, ajowan essential oil proved to have similar pain relieving properties to morphine. With so many other incredible uses for this oil and its very affordable price tag – generally about $15 for a 15 ml bottle – it should be in everybody’s medicine cabinet.
Please leave a comment to let me know if this list helped and share your own experiences with ajowan or ajwain seed essential oil, if you have already used it. We can all learn from each other and keep adding to the on-going list of its great uses. Be sure to share, too, so that others can become aware of all of this oil’s great benefits.
References:
1. **Hopewell Oils: Thyme ct Thymol** I used this ref. because this thyme chemotype has similar compounds to ajowan and this is a great site for input from experts like Robert Tisserand. He recommends a max dilution rate of 1.3% for this Thyme, which is why I went with only a 1% dilution rate for the ajowan. Ajowan commonly has 45% or greater thymol content.
https://hopewelloils.com/thyme-thymol.php
2. Rocky Mountain Oils: Ajowan Seed Essential Oil
https://www.rockymountainoils.com/ajowan-seed.html
3. Ayurvedic Oils: Ajowan Oil
http://ayurvedicoils.com/tag/health-benefits-of-ajowan-oil